I wanted to play this, but not enough to interact with their launcher and Denuvo.

If you're coming from Windows, something that runs KDE Plasma will feel very familiar.

Not released on Steam, it doesn't release until December 10.

I really doubt they've got an IP lock in place; just set up a Family and invite your siblings and in-laws.

Edit: tried it with a buddy, and it is in fact IP locked; he was unable to join until I set up a VPN for him to connect through. After initial setup, you don't need the same IP address.

A lot of toothless game bloggers afraid of biting the hand that feeds.

I migrated the day before yesterday. A company can only feed you hot logs, straight from the factory, for so many years before you tire of pretending the taste is acceptable.

Counterpoint: 100 hours is not too much, but it could be too much for you. That's fine, it's very obvious from the type of game it is that it's probably going to be 50+ hours long, and if you're not playing right at release, you can check Howlongtobeat. I don't think playing a game for two months is a mark against it, as long as I like the game.

The potential legislation would be specific to the EU, but that doesn't really matter; this market is large enough that it would directly affect other markets. Either the games are patched for all territories or others will make the EU-specific build available. One option generates positive press, the other negative, and any difference in cost would be negligible.

There's also the argument of preserving art.

From a Steam review:

The game was advertised as having 40 new levels, which at first glance is sounds engaging and interesting, until you find out most of those levels are programmer/beta/alpha stages. It's not entirely new content, but rather going through iterations until you arrive at the level as it is today. While interesting, it does feel disingenuous to advertise this as a new level. When I hear braid has a new level, I think "There's one more puzzle piece", but that's not the case. You are not rewarded with anything in game, but instead receive some occasionally insightful commentary. In total, there are around 14 actual, new puzzles.

Takes less than a minute to fill out. If you're a citizen of the EU, please take a few seconds and sign this.

As a consumer, I don't care about this. Even if Valve's cut were lower, the prices would remain the same. I don't get a cheaper game, the publisher just gets a higher cut, so it doesn't directly benefit me.

Not exactly what you're asking, but I can recommend Audiobookshelf.